Killilli’s Dragon Heist

((Aimee is crap at whispering but it's Klein's call!))

"Not ruffians, I can handle them. If anything, YOU come across like uppity rich folk who are used to getting their way, no matter who it hurts. But appearances, deceiving, judging book covers, and all that."

Her eyes glaze over at the monolog and she whispers back to Aimee,

"I mean... if someone gets rowdy, I can cut 'em, but probably not good for business.  Some muscle be handy."

"Lif has to like you or it's a no deal. So put on your ghost charming pants. Then we can hear you out."

The four of you step into the four story manor, its ramshackle structure towering above you. Though it is the grandest building in the alley, it is in much disrepair. Wooden boards hang precariously from the windows, soot and dried bird droppings stain the five chimneys and turret and the rusted metal lettering over the entrance that remains only spells out gobbledygook. There's a skewed pike sticking out of the building to the main road that is said to have once held an ancient troll skull that gave the area it's name.

Inside, the plaster on the wall, a faded yet garish old fashioned pattern is chipping away. Rickety tables and chairs look ready to crumple from a slightly stern look. The bar is rotted beyond saving, bloated barrels sitting behind it looking ready to burst. The place is clean though, thanks to Aimee's hard work. Barrels of broken glass are lined up neatly in front of the bar and a gleaming gold bell swings over the bar. Aimee and Lyss remember leaving the place magically cleaned, but none of the rubbish and glass on the floor had been cleared as it is now.

Almost as if on cue, a knocking is heard coming up from the cellar following Lyss's condition. A floating dustpan and brush whisk into the bar before a deafening "DING!!!" resonates throughout the tavern as the gold bell shakes.

(OOC: Looks like Killilli and I posted at the same time, so maybe say this response happened slightly before the Ding?) 

At their response, there is a slight change in Aldrik's demeanor, as if this is not quite going as he expected. "I'm not... Just working for you as a bouncer is not my purpose here, the bouncing would be more of an ancillary benefit! I'm talking about a mutually beneficial business partnership."

At the mention that Lif is a ghost, Aldrik's eyes alight, and he slaps a hand on the nearest table. "A resident ghost! Hah! This place could be like the Elfsong in Baldur's Gate! Half the reason people go there are to get a glimpse of the ghost!"

He pauses a moment, muttering. "The other half is to get into a bar fight and stab someone, but that's just about every Balduran tavern to be honest." 

"Hey Lif! These guy wants to be a bouncer for the business and get us into debt! Let him tell you about it!"

She gives Aldrik an encouraging smile.

Before entering the tavern, Aimee's mention of starting a collection of books seems to crack Edvord's demeanor. "Ah. A fellow avid reader. Such minds are increasingly rare in our day. Perhaps the two of us could compare notes sometime. The pursuit of knowledge is an unending task that no seeker can finish on their own."

As the group enters the tavern, Edvord silently listens to Aldrik and the others talk business. Perhaps this place does have potential, but restoring the huge disrepaired tavern could probably swallow gold by the brick. When Aldrik mentions a line of credit and glances at Edvord, Edvord attempts to motion to Aldrik back towards the door with his eyes. There is another time and place for such conversations.

At the appearance, or lack thereof, of Lif, Edvord struggles to maintain composure. What started as a favor to his father, chaperoning Aldrik, has quickly taken a turn for the macabre. Riding around the city the entire day listening to Aldrik prattle about his business schemes was downright boring. But watching Aldrik squirm when confronted at his own game has made the whole affair worthwhile. Not to mention the interesting development of the apparition.

Trying his best to stifle a laugh Edvord gestures at Aldrik, "Go on brother, please explain this partnership further. We are all 'dying' to know more."

Lyss turns to Edvord as he mentions books.

"We are all official Book Wyrms.", she says solemnly while flashing her badge that bears the insignia the brothers may have noticed on a shop just across the street. 

"Hey Aldy, it takes a lot for Lif to respond, and we're busy adventurers/rescuers-for-hire/business owners, so maybe less of a rich person presentation with fancy words, and more short, clear, to the point?", she says, looking up at the towering human with her hands on her hips.

Kerri still seems rather unimpressed. "So instead of seeking out partnership in any of the taverns that are already running you came here?" She asks.

The bell dings once more in response to Aimee. As everyone starts to round up on Aldrik expectantly an A shaped blackboard floats in to the room being propped up on the bar. A piece of white chalk and a straight piece of piping are placed next to it, before a crate is slid over to make a stage by the blackboard for the presentation. Lif dings again when he finishes.

As Lif seems to leave to get his presentation board, Aldrik cannot help but close his eyes and pinch the nose of his bridge between his thumb and forefinger. Channeling a bit of George Costanza, he mutters, "I'm not here to be a bouncer. No bouncing! Forget about the bouncing!" For good measure, he gives a glare at Edvord.

Looking at Aimee, "Aimee, you are already going to be in debt for this place. Eventually the Waterdhavian tax man will come knocking his slimy hands on that door, just for the property tax alone. It would be better if you have a booming business with dragons to spare versus an empty and wrecked bar, yes?"

To Kerri, "My goal is to help start a new tavern. Thus, there must be a new tavern to start. And your tavern is in one of the best possible locations, and has the mystique of it's own ghost! Speaking of..."

Aldrik gives a short bow in what he thinks is the direction of Lif. "Thank you for the presentation board, Lif. I am Aldrik Reinholdt, of House Reinholdt. Pleased to meet you." He takes a moment, holding the chalk in hand, before quickly drawing some stick figure quality pictures on the board.

"Alright, short and sweet. Here's two paths before you. The first is you try it alone, either on your own or going to some shady lender. Permits are hard, navigating the bureaucracy of Waterdeep is hard. Debts to the shady guy aren't paid and he breaks your stuff even more, or he breaks it anyway because he's a jerk. Then the tax guy comes and takes what's left. Very sad for all."

"Now, a better path! I help you navigate the bureaucracy, I use my connections to talk to the Guild of Brewers and Innkeepers, get the assessment to get this place fixed up, and then we go to one of the noble moneylenders, we secure a reasonable loan, fix up the place, brew some ale that even the dwarves dream about, cook up some great food, the dragons flow in, pay off the loan! As soon as you know it, Trollskull Tavern is hailed as the next Yawning Portal!"

To Edvord,

"Books are great! I used to read all day! It was kinda my job as an acolyte, until they kicked me out! Now they won't let me read anything and said they would call the authorities if I came back but then they did anyhow even though I didn't go back!"

She takes a long breathe,

"Do you have a library Edvord? Everyone should have a library!"

---

To the presentation with pictures she claps and then picks a random spot to ask,

"What do you think Lif?"

Edvord turns to Lyss before the presentation starts, "I apologize if I may have misjudged you and your companions. I've come to assume that many in this city shun the knowledge written by their forebearers. I have heard of your local arcane library, but haven't had the chance to visit it myself since I have returned. What sort of access does Book Wyrm membership provide?"

As the presentation is being conducted, Edvord converses with Aimee, "My family has quite a collection of books and ledgers, but they mostly pertain to coastal almanacs, treatises on trade, and other odds and ends to help run a trading house. So unfortunately I haven't had access to a real library since I returned to Waterdeep. So you were an acolyte at one of the nearby temples? Which one? Perhaps with a few tricks or the right sort of patron you could return one day. Nothing should stand between one and the search for knowledge!"

Out of the corner of his eye Edvord watches Aldrik's presentation. The pictures strike Edvord as amateurish but the underlying plan is sound. Maybe Aldrik isn't as lost of a cause as Lord Reinholdt surmised. Plus this group is tied in with the local arcane library. As Aldrik finishes Edvord addresses the group, "Look neither myself nor Lord Reinholdt has any interest in swindling you out of or becoming a part time owner of this establishment. But perhaps we can start with the first step of Aldrik's plan and build from there."

As he finishes speaking, Edvord thinks to himself, and perhaps you can help me obtain Book Wyrm membership...

"The acolytes of this city barely have the intelligence to understand the books they read," Kerri says dismissivly. "And what exactly about this plan should prove to us that you're not just a lone shark with a shinier pedigree?"

To Kerri, Aldrik responds: "If I were a loan shark, I'd be trying to get you to take a loan from me, not go into a loan with me as an equal. Like I said, shared success, and shared failure. A loan shark would hope to see you fail so that they could collect from you forever."

Reiterating Edvord's point, "This is not us, as emissaries of House Reinholdt, trying to bully you into serfdom. This is just me, Aldrik, a person with some helpful connections, trying to forge a new business in one of the most cutthroat of cities, and hopefully making valuable partnerships in the process."

"The real question is, what DOESN'T membership in the Book Wyrms get you? Books can take you across the planes, without all the timey-wimey-you-have-no-family-anymore stuff, and can make you rich, or a wizard, or a king, or a rich wizard king! If you apply for membership, just make sure to say that the owners of Trollskull sent you. We're trying to work out a business deal with him too."

Lyss claps her hands at the drawings, and looks around at Aimee, Kerri, and a wall that Lif might be floating near.

 To Edvord during the second presentation,

"Temple of Oghma! They put me in the archives in the basement because I didn't convey the 'correct attitude' for an acolyte of Oghma! I got to read lots about lots! I'm sure they'd let you in to read whatever you want! Mostly! Some stuff they don't let anyone read but what's the point of that, huh?"

To Kerri's offhanded insult about acolyte's being dumb she smiles and nods,

"There are books with really hard words! Especially in those old draconic ones! Like REALLY hard words!"

Aimee holds up a finger on the talk of loans,

"I read once that if we take a loan, once we pay it off you're out! You would have no more claim on the revenues of the business! If you become a partner in the business your claim on business's profits never ends! We should talk percentage shares of ownership, what do think Lif? Minority partners with a 5% stake?"

Aimee winks obviously to Lyss and then to Kerri and then towards the empty bar.

Kerri looks at the two strangers. "How do you know Mirt?" She demands.

To Kerri, "I've met Mirt several times at a few parties. I've also shared drinks with him once or twice, and last time we met I *almost* won a decent amount of dragons of him in a game of Talis. If Mirt irks you to some extreme, there are others." He glances at his brother. "Edvord's been away, so he probably only knows the man in passing."

Turning back to Aimee, "My brother has no interest in this deal, he's here on his own agenda. But I am not looking to be merely a loan broker, nor take such a pittance. Equal partners, thus, 25%." He looks directly at the girl. "Why? Because I will put in at least my fair share in getting this place running again. I won't be sitting back, loan secured. Sweat, blood, and effort will be required to raise this place from the dead." A quick glance at the assumed Lif direction. "No offense."

"Consider it this way... you can take three full shares of zero, and still have zero. Or you can take 75% of a real profit, and have someone additional who pulls his weight on the team."

He puts his hand on his chin. "But... if you know the six exact forms you need to fill out to the three precise guilds involved in simply replacing a rotten wooden bar, and have an excellent line of credit with Burgen Stabs-backs the Crazy-Eyed down in the docks ward, well, be my guest."

Edvord responds to Kerri, "You'll have to ask Aldik. I honestly have no clue who or what a Mirt is. It just happens to be the name Aldik kept chattering about on the ride over."

As Lyss speaks, a glimmer appears in Edvord's eyes. "I will mention your names, I intend to obtain a membership and peruse their selection when Aldrik's business is done here."

Edvord glances over to Aldrik who is negotiating terms with Aimee. At Aimee's mention of the loan Edvord begins to laugh before raising his hand signaling he wants to speak. "Look Aldrik doesn't have the gold to loan you, and while the Reinholdt company has the gold I very much doubt it would have the willingness. Aldrik does have connections, and I deduce from our conversations on the ride over that he desires to be an equal partner in your venture. As for me, I want for nothing this establishment could provide. Because there are other things I wish to accomplish today, let me try to cut the length of this conversation down to a simple proposal."

"Understandably, why would any of you risk what you have by allowing an unknown outsider to enter your partnership. So agree to keep an open mind concerning maybe bringing on Aldrik as a full partner, but make no decisions at this time. In the meantime, Aldrik can begin to call upon his contacts. Restoration of this tavern will take considerable time. Let him prove his worth before rushing into a decision. Either party arguing over terms before knowing the full extent of the offer is foolhardy."

As Edvord finishes speaking he looks over toward the floating chalkboards and thinks to himself, now this is a mystery worth closer inspection. Edvord attempts to deduce the potential nature of the apparition known as Lif.

"I dont have an issue with Mirt," Kerri says. "What's irking me is the fact that you've waltzed in here just assuming that we'll agree because you have connections."